Expansible wedge



W. R. ANUSZKIEWICZ EXPANSIBLE WEDGE Filed May 12, 1948 INVENTOR.

HIS ATTORNEY Patented May 2, 1959 EXPANSIBLE WEDGE Walter R. Anuszkiewicz, McKeesport, Pa, assignor to National Tube Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 12, 1948, Serial No. 26,649

I Claims.

This invention relates to expansible wedges.

7 An object of this invention isto provide improved expansible wedges of sturdy and simplified construction and in which the thrust elements are maintained parallel throughout a wedging operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved expansible wedges in which the thrust elements may be expanded or retracted in parallelism without application of impact blows, thereby lessening the likelihood of damage to parts being wedged and facilitating removal of the wedge after completion of the wedging operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved expansible wedges especially suited for placing carbon blocks in the walls of blast furnace hearths.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, a preferred form of which is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an improved expansible wedge embodying features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the wedge shown in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the thrust elements used in the wedge shown in Figures 1 and 2; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a blast furnace hearth illustrating one mode of using the expansible wedge of the present invention.

Referring more in detail to the drawing:

The expansible wedge of the present invention comprises a bearing block Iii and'a spindle l2 rotatably received in said block. The outer end of the spindle is provided with means, not shown, for rotating the spindle. The spindle has positioning collars l3 and M on opposite sides of bearing block Hi to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the spindle and block. A pair of wings l5 and it are hinged to opposite sides of block 10. Preferably in their retracted position the wings are parallel to each other and to the spindle axis as shown in Figure 2. Thrust elements i1 and I8 are hinged to the extremities of said wings. Spindle [2 has a screw threaded section IS. A wedging element is threadedly engaged with the threaded section of the spindle and is adapted to force thrust elements I! and I8 apart to perform a wedging operation. Prefer-,-

2 ably the extremity of spindle 12 has a stop 2| to limit movement of wedging element 2!].

The details of a preferred design of thrust elements I? and 18 are shown in Figure 4. The.

substantially equal to the breadth of inclined plane 2%. The inclined planes of the two wedge elements l5 and i3 thus interfit as shown in Figure 3, leaving a central passage that accommodates spindle lfl. The angle of inclination of the inclined planes is rather small, preferably on the order of 5 to 12 degrees to furnish a large mechanical advantage.

Preferabl the outer faces of the thrust elements are drilled and tapped, as indicated at 26, to enable shims 27 to be fixed to the outer faces, and thus to increase the effective thickness of the wedge as needed.

Wedging element 20 forms an isosceles triangle x in end elevation and its apex is directed toward bearing block it. The thicker end has a central bearing passage 28 which threadedly receives spindle l2. Above the bearing passage the midportion of the wedging element is recessed at 29. The outside faces of the wedging element form inclined planes cooperable with those on the thrust elements and having the same inclination from the central axis. Thus as long asthe thrust elements are in contact with the wedging' element, their outer faces are parallel. The interfitting inclined planes on the thrust elements provide balanced bearing surfaces on each side of the spindle for engagement with the wedging element.

Use of the expansible wedge of the present in vention is not limited to any specific application. Nevertheless the wedge is particularly suited for placing carbon blocks in the walls of blast furnace hearths. Hence I shall describe operation of the wedge used for this purpose, although this description is not to be construed as thus limiting use of the device.

As shown in Figure 5, a typical blast furnacehearth includes a cylindrical jacket 3!] which is lined with one or more layers of carbon blocks 3| that are about five feet high. In constructing a hearth, a circular erection line is inscribed on the hearth bottom as a guide in setting and placing the vertical carbon blocks 3|. Each block 3| is placed with its inner edge eased up to the erection line by my expansible wedge positioned between the rear face of block 3i and cylindrical jacket 30. Beginning at the iron notch, half of the circumference of the hearth blocks is erected and cemented, a quadrant on each side of the starting point. Opposite the iron notch the second half of the hearth circumference is started and similarly erected. The gaps then remainin for the last two blocks 3la are too small to receive the blocks freely. Hence the gaps are widened by heavy screw jacks until wide enough to receive the last blocks. These blocks are then wedged into place by force applied between the inside jacket 36 and the rear face of blocks 31a.

Thrust elements ll and is of the expansible wedge are inserted between the interior face of jacket 30 and the rear faces of blocks 3! and 3m. Spindle I2 is rotated and thus wedging element 25 is moved up the inclined planes of thrust elements ll and E8. The thrust elements are forced apart in parallelism and thus force blocks 3! to the erection line and blocks Bid evenly into place alongside blocks 3 B. After each block is placed, the spindle is rotated in the opposite. direction moving the Wedging element down the inclined planes on the thrust elements and releasing the force against the block. The wedge may then be freely lifted out of the hearth.

From the foregoing description it is seen that thethrust elements of the wedge are maintained parallel during a wedeing cperat n and thus the bodies being wedged are moved 31.1 1}, The need for impact blows is eliminated, thus lessening the likelihood of damage 'to any parts.

While I have shown and described only a single embodiment of the invention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An expansible wedge comprising a bearing block, a spindle rotatably carried by said bearing block and having a screw threaded section, a pair of wings hinged to opposite sides or said bearing block,.thrust elements hinged. to the extremities off-said wings, and a Wedging element threadedly engagedwith the threaded section of. said spindle and. slidably engaging said thrust elements for forcing them apart in parallelism on rotation of said, spindle.

2; An expansible wedge comprising a bearing block, a spindle rotatably carried by said bearing block and having a screw threaded section, a

pair of wings hinged to opposite sides of said 4 clined planes on said thrust elements for forcing said thrust elements apart in parallelism on rotation of said spindle.

3. An expansible wedge comprising a bearing block, a spindle rotatably carried by said bearing block and having a screw threaded section, a pair of Wings hinged to opposite sides of said bearing block, thrust elements hinged to the extremities of said wings and each having an inclined plane adjacent one inner edge and a second inclined plane spaced inwardly from the other inner edge by a distance substantially equal to the breadth of the first inclined plane, said inclined planes 'on opposite thrust elements interfitting but leaving a central passage accommodating said spindle, and a wedging element threadedly engaged with the threaded section of said spindle, the sides of said wedging element forming inclined planes cooperable with the inclined planes on said thrust elements for forcing said thrust elements apart in parallelism on rotationofsaid spindle.

e, An expansible wedge comprisin .a bearing block, a spindle rotatably carried by said bearing. block and having a screw threaded section, a pair of wings hinged to opposite sides of saidbearing block, thrust elements hinged to the extremities of said Wings and having interfitting inclined planes on their inner faces, and a triangularly shaped wedging element threadedly engaged with the threaded section of said spindle and having its apex directed toward said bearing block, the sides of said wedging element forming inclined planes of inclination similar to that of the inclined planes on said thrust elements and cooperalole with the latter to force said thrust elements apart in parallelism on rotation of said on opposite thrust elements interfitting but leave.

ing' a central passage accommodating said spinle a -1da triangularly shaped wedgingelement threadedly engaged with the threaded section. of said spindle and having its apex directed toward said bearing block, tires-ides of said wedging 18: merit forming inclined planes of inclination simi lar to that of the inclined planes on said thrustelements and cooper-able with the latter to force said thrust elements apart in parallelism on rotation of saidspindle.

ALTER 3- A U KIE ICZ- No references cited. 

